Direct access storage devices (DASD) have become part of everyday life, and as such, expectations and demands continually increase for greater speed for manipulating and for holding larger amounts of data. To meet these demands for increased performance, the mechano-electrical assembly in a DASD device, specifically the Hard Disk Drive (HDD) has evolved to meet these demands.
Advances in magnetic recording heads as well as the disk media have allowed more data to be stored on a disk's recording surface. The ability of an HDD to access this data quickly is largely a function of the performance of the mechanical components of the HDD. Once this data is accessed, the ability of an HDD to read and write this data quickly is primarily a function of the electrical components of the HDD.
A computer storage system may include a magnetic hard disk(s) or drive(s) within an outer housing or base containing a spindle motor assembly having a central drive hub that rotates the disk. An actuator includes a plurality of parallel actuator arms in the form of a comb that is movably or pivotally mounted to the base about a pivot assembly. A controller is also mounted to the base for selectively moving the comb of arms relative to the disk.
Each actuator arm has extending from it at least one cantilevered electrical lead suspension. A magnetic read/write transducer or head is mounted on a slider and secured to a flexure that is flexibly mounted to each suspension. The read/write heads magnetically read data from and/or magnetically write data to the disk. The level of integration called the head gimbal assembly (HGA) is the head and the slider, which are mounted on the suspension. The slider is usually bonded to the end of the suspension.
A suspension has a spring-like quality, which biases or presses the air-bearing surface of the slider against the disk to cause the slider to fly at a precise distance from the disk. Movement of the actuator by the controller causes the head gimbal assemblies to move along radial arcs across tracks on the disk until the heads settle on their set target tracks. The head gimbal assemblies operate in and move in unison with one another or use multiple independent actuators wherein the arms can move independently of one another.
There are known instances when a disk drive will cease to function properly, commonly referred to as disk failure. A process commonly termed failure analysis may be used to determine possible causes of the failure. Failure analysis, and subsequent causal determinations, can initiate remedies for increased product reliability. By virtue of the vast numbers of various types, and the fabrication processes and compositions associated therewith, of devices, controllers, connectors and other components present in a hard disk drive, failure analysis time can be expensive.
Examples of failure can include, but is by no means limited to, operational failure, assembly failure, fabrication failure, and so on. When one component/process fails, it may be due to a failure of that component/process or failure of another component/process that may have caused failure of the first component/process. Contamination and residue are common causes of component/process failure in a hard disk drive.
To that extent, identification, and the potential source, of the contaminant and/or the residue may include chemical and/or molecular analysis.